U.S. patent number 3,919,615 [Application Number 05/452,169] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-11 for power belt.
Invention is credited to Ronald Niecke.
United States Patent |
3,919,615 |
Niecke |
November 11, 1975 |
Power belt
Abstract
A power belt which comprises a belt member adapted to be secured
around the waist of a person using the belt, and a plurality of
pockets carried by the belt member. Electrical cells are contained
in all but one of these pockets and are series connected. The
remaining pocket contains an inverter unit to which the cells are
connected, whereby an a.c. output is obtained. Further, the
inverter unit is removably fitted to a connector unit in the
pocket, by way of a push-in coupling designed to allow the inverter
to be inserted in an alternative position in which it can be used
as a charger for recharging the cells. In another aspect of the
invention, a releasable fastening is provided between the upper
margin of the belt member and the backs of the pockets to enable
the electrical connections between the cells and inverter unit to
be exposed for maintenance purposes. According to a still further
aspect of the invention the belt member is made of a foldable
material and the pockets are disposed to allow convenient folding
of the belt with the pockets arranged side by side in a compact
arrangement for ease of storage and transportation.
Inventors: |
Niecke; Ronald (Islington,
Ontario, CA) |
Family
ID: |
23795349 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/452,169 |
Filed: |
March 18, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
320/112; 224/663;
224/684; 224/677; 224/929; 320/128; 320/DIG.28; 307/150 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J
7/0042 (20130101); H01M 10/46 (20130101); Y10S
224/929 (20130101); Y10S 320/28 (20130101); Y02E
60/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H02J
7/00 (20060101); H01M 10/46 (20060101); H01M
10/42 (20060101); H02J 007/00 (); A45F
005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;320/2 ;307/150
;240/6.4W ;224/5H,13,20,22,23 ;315/76 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Broome; Harold
Assistant Examiner: Hickey; Robert J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rogers, Bereskin & Parr
Claims
1. A power belt comprising:
a belt member adapted to be secured around a person's waist in
use;
a plurality of pockets coupled to said member and spaced along
it;
an inverter unit adapted to be received in one of said pockets, the
remaining pockets being adapted to receive electrical cells;
a connector unit in said one pocket, the unit including output
means connectible to a device to be powered by the belt and input
means connectible to an external power supply;
means adapted to connect in series, electrical cells received in
said remaining pockets, and to connect said cells to the connector
unit;
and a plug-in coupling for connecting together said inverter unit
and said connector unit in one of two positions, in the first of
which the inverter unit operates in its normal mode to invert the
d.c. voltage from the cells when the belt is in use, whereby an
a.c. voltage is available at said output means, and in the second
of which the inverter unit operates as a charger when an external
power supply is connected to the input means, to enable the cells
to be recharged.
2. A power belt as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug-in coupling
comprises a male coupling part on one of said units, a
complementary female coupling part on the other of said units, and
releasable locking means to hold the inverter unit and connector
unit together with the coupling parts engaged with one another.
3. A power belt as claimed in claim 2, wherein the releasable
locking means comprises inwardly deflectable resilient latch
members on the inverter unit, and retaining means on the connector
unit for the latch members, said retaining means being positioned
to inwardly deflect the latch members as the inverter unit is
plugged into the connector unit, the latch members returning to
their initial positions after such deflection to engage the
retaining means.
4. A power belt as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input means of
the connector unit is adapted to be coupled to an external source
of power by a lead and plug which are normally received in a
storage compartment in the connector unit, but which can be
withdrawn for use in recharging the cells.
5. A power belt comprising:
an elongate flexible member adapted to be secured around at least
part of a person's waist;
a plurality of pockets mounted on the side of said member which is
outermost in use, at least some of said pockets being adapted to
receive electrical cells;
electrical connections for connecting cells in said pockets, at
least parts of said connections passing through the elongate member
from said pockets to the inner side of the member and extending
along said inner side;
cover means for the parts of said electrical connections at the
inner side of the elongate member, the said cover means and
elongate member being permanently secured together along a bottom
marginal portion of the cover means; and,
releasable retaining means between an upper marginal portion of the
cover means and the elongate member, said retaining means
comprising strips of cohesive fabrics secured in corresponding
positions on the cover means and elongate member respectively,
whereby the fabric strips adhere to one another to secure the upper
marginal portion of the cover means to the elongate member, but can
be separated by tearing the fabrics apart to allow access to the
parts of said electrical connections at the inner side of the
elongate member.
6. A power belt as claimed in Claim 5, wherein one of said fabrics
has a surface covered with fine hairs and the other fabric has a
corresponding surface covered with hooked tines which, when the two
fabrics are in contact, engage the hairs on the other fabric to
retain the fabrics together, the fabrics being separable by tearing
the same apart to release the hairs from the hooks.
7. A power belt as claimed in claim 6 wherein the cover means
comprises a flexible web adapted to be secured around a person's
waist in use, and wherein the said elongate flexible member
carrying the pockets is permanently secured to the web at each
opposite end and along its bottom marginal portion, the upper
marginal portion of the member and the corresponding part of the
web being releasably held together by said fabrics.
8. A power belt as claimed in claim 5 and further comprising:
an inverter unit for engagement in one of said pockets, the
remaining pockets being adapted to contain said cells, the cells
being connected electrically in series by said electrical
connections and connected to the inverter unit;
a connector unit in said one pocket, the connector unit being
coupled to the inverter unit and including output means connectible
to a device to be powered by the belt, and input means connectible
to an external electrical power supply;
a plug-in coupling for connecting together said inverter unit and
said connector unit in one of two positions, in the first of which
the inverter unit operates in its normal mode to invert the d.c.
voltage from the cells when the belt is in use, whereby an a.c.
voltage is available at said output means, and in the second of
which the inverter unit operates as a charger when an external
power supply is connected to the input means to enable the cells to
be recharged.
9. A power belt as claimed in claim 5, wherein the elongate
flexible member is of a foldable material, wherein at least those
parts of the electrical connections at the inner side of the
elongate member are flexible, wherein there are at least two pairs
of pockets, each pocket being of generally box-form, the pairs of
pockets being spaced along the member by a distance at least
substantially equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the adjacent
pockets in the respective pairs, whereby the said adjacent pockets
can be folded together in face-to-face relationship with the
elongate member extending along their adjacent ends, and wherein
the pockets in each pair are spaced from one another by a smaller
amount sufficient to enable them to be folded together in
back-to-back relationship with the elongate member folded back on
itself between the two pockets.
10. A power belt comprising:
a relatively norrow elongate belt member which is of a foldable
material and which has opposite outer ends;
means at said outer ends of the belt member for coupling said ends
together to secure the belt member about a person's waist; and,
at least two pairs of generally box form pockets depending from
said belt member, each pocket being of a height substantially
greater than the width of the belt member, and at least some of
said pockets being adapted to carry electrical cells, the
respective pairs of pockets being spaced from one another along the
belt member by a distance at least substantially equal to the sum
of the thicknesses of adjacent pockets in the respective pairs, so
that the said adjacent pockets can be folded together in
face-to-face relationship with the belt member extending along
their adjacent ends, the pockets in each pair being spaced from one
another by a smaller distance sufficient to enable them to be
folded together in back-to-back relationship with the belt member
folded back on itself between these two pockets, and the pockets in
the respective pairs nearest said outer ends of the belt member
being spaced substantially from said outer ends such that, when the
belt is in use, said pockets rest generally on the hips of the
wearer of the belt, and the remainder of the pockets are located
across the wearer's back.
11. A power belt comprising:
a belt member which is adapted to be secured about a person's waist
and is of a foldable material;
at least two pairs of generally box-form pockets attached to the
outer side of the belt member, at least some of said pockets being
adapted to carry electrical cells; and
flexible electrical connections for connecting cells in said
pockets;
said pairs of pockets being spaced along the belt member by a
distance at least substantially equal to the sum of the thicknesses
of the adjacent pockets in the respective pairs, whereby the said
adjacent pockets can be folded together in face-to-face
relationship with the belt member extending along their adjacent
ends, and wherein the pockets in each pair are spaced from one
another by a smaller amount sufficient to enable them to be folded
together back-to-back with the belt member folded back on itself
between the two pockets;
an inverter unit adapted to be engaged in one of said pockets, the
remaining pockets being adapted to receive electrical cells, said
electrical connections being adapted to connect cells in said
pockets in series and to connect the cells to the inverter
unit;
a connector unit in said one pocket and coupled to the inverter
unit, the connector unit including output means connectible to a
device to be powered by the belt, and input means for connection to
an external power supply; and,
a plug-in coupling for connecting together said inverter unit and
said connector unit is one of two positions, in the first of which
the inverter unit operates in its normal mode to invert the DC
voltage from the cells when the belt is in use, whereby an AC
voltage is available at said output means, and in the second of
which the inverter unit operates as a charger when an external
power supply is connected to the input means to enable the cells to
be recharged.
12. A power belt as claimed in claim 11, in which at least parts of
said electrical connections pass through the elongate member from
said pockets to the inner side of the member and extend along said
side, and in which the belt further comprises:
cover means for said parts of said electrical connections at the
inner side of the belt member;; and,
releasable retaining means which normally secures the cover means
to said inner side of the belt member over said parts of the
electrical connections.
Description
This invention relates to a power belt for use as a portable
electrical power supply for operating electrical movie cameras and
other devices.
Although in the following description, reference will be confined
to power belts for use with movie cameras, it is to be understood
that there is no limitation in this and that a power belt according
to the invention may be used in any situation in which a portable
electrical power supply is required. Examples of other potential
applications of a power belt according to the invention are in the
operation of video tape cameras, t.v. cameras and electronic
military equipment.
A cameraman using a portable movie camera wears a power belt around
his waist and connects his camera electrically into an output
socket on the belt. The belt carries electrical cells connected to
the output socket. It will be appreciated that the belt allows the
cameraman considerable mobility whilst ensuring a continuous power
pupply. The cells are normally rechargeable and are commonly of the
nickle cadmium type. A charger is often built into the belt so that
the cells can be re-charged by simply connecting the charger to the
mains electrical supply when the belt is not in use.
An example of a prior art power belt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
3,274,476. The belt disclosed in that patent comprises an elongate
and flat belt member which carries a plastics molding shaped to
define a plurality of pockets receiving electrical cells. The cells
are series connected to provide a d.c. output of the required
voltage. It will be appreciated that because this belt can be used
only with cameras having d.c. motors, the cameraman using a
conventional power belt of this type is denied the many advantages
of using the wide range of movie cameras which have a.c.
motors.
In one aspect the present invention provides a power belt which
comprises a belt member adapted to be secured around the waist of a
person using the belt, and a plurality of pockets carried by the
belt member. Electrical cells are carried in all but one of these
pockets and are series connected. The remaining pocket contains an
inverter unit to which the cells are connected whereby an a.c.
output is obtained. This enables the belt according to the
invention, to be used to power movie cameras having a.c. motors.
Further, the inverter unit is removable, being fitted to a
connector unit in the pocket by a push-in coupling designed to
allow the inverter to be inserted in an alternative position in
which it can be used as a charger for recharging the cells.
A further disadvantage of the prior art type of belt referred to
above is that the plastics molding is of generally circular shape
(to conform to the wearer's waist), which makes the belt
inconvenient to handle and store when not in use. Further, the
plastics material from which the molding is normally made is
comparatively rigid which prevents the belt being folded. Attempts
to fold the belt and flexing of the plastics material, result in
the moulding cracking and possibly in damage to the cells and to
the electrical connections.
According to a further aspect of the invention the belt member is
made of a foldable material and the pockets are disposed to allow
convenient folding of the belt with the pockets arranged side by
side in a compact arrangement for ease of storage and
transportation.
A still further problem with a belt of the general type disclosed
in the above U.S. patent is that, in production belts, the slide
fastener shown in the patent is often omitted and the moulding
produced as a sealed unit. This prevents access to the electrical
connections between the cells in the belt for maintenance and
repair purposes.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention;
releasable retaining means are provided between the upper margin of
the belt member and the backs of the pockets to enable the
electrical connections to be exposed for maintenance and repair
purposes.
The invention will be better understood with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a power belt, in accordance with
one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the pockets of the belt
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the pocket shown adjacent
the right hand end of the belt in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a back view of the belt arranged in a flat condition;
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 5--5 of FIG. 4;
and,
FIG. 6 is a top view showing the belt of the previous FIG. 5 in a
folded condition.
The belt shown in the drawings has been designed primarily for use
as a power source for an electrically operated, portable movie
camera. Referring first to FIG. 1, the belt includes a strip 20 of
webbing which carries four pockets 22, 24, 26 and 28. The first
three pockets, 22, 24 and 26 contain nickel-cadmium cells which are
series connected, as will be described. The fourth pocket 28
contains an inverter unit which receives the output from the cells
contained in the other three pockets and from which the output of
the belt is taken.
Webbing strip 20 may be made of any convenient hard wearing,
flexible material. Preferably it is of a woven man-made fibre. In
any event, the strip 20 is adapted to be secured around the
person's waist by a buckle comprising two inter-engageable buckle
members 30, 32, carried by respectively opposite ends of the strip
20. As can be seen, buckle member 30 is held in a fixed loop 34
formed on one end of the belt and carries a T-shaped buckle
formation 36. The other buckle member is carried by the opposite
end of strip 20 and is shaped to define an eye 38, dimensioned to
receive the T-shaped buckle formation 36 of member 30 when the belt
is fastened. Member 32 is held by a loop 40, which is adjustable in
size by means of a sliding fastener 42, arranged on the main
portion of the belt and connected to the end of the loop. By moving
fastener 42 along the main portion of the belt, the size of the
loop and hence the length of strip 20 can be adjusted to suit the
waist size of the wearer.
The pockets 22, 24, 26, 28 are in this embodiment made of leather
in view of its hard wearing properties, although it is to be
understood that there is no limitation in this respect and that the
pockets may be made of any sufficiently hard wearing material. In
any event, the backs of all four pockets are formed by parts of a
common backing member 44, mounted on the webbing strip 20. Member
44 is cut from a single piece of leather in a shape which defines a
top portion 46 of approximately the same depth as the strip 20, and
four rectangular depending portions 48, which form the backs of the
pockets 22, 24, 26, 28.
As has been mentioned above, the three pockets, 22, 24, 26 carry
electrical cells. These pockets are identical with one another and
one of them is shown individually in FIG. 2. This view may be taken
as showing any one of the three cell-carrying pockets, but in this
instance it will be assumed that the view shows pocket 26. It will
be appreciated that a portion of the webbing strip 20 is visible in
FIG. 2, as is part of the backing member 44, comprising one of the
rectangular portions 48 and a section of the top portion 46.
Pocket 26 is of rectangular shape in front view and is made up of a
front panel 50, also of rectangular shape, and two rectangular end
panels 52. The bottom margin of the front panel 50 is secured along
the bottom edge of the rectangular depending portion 48 of backing
member 44 by a line of stitching partly visible at 54 in FIG. 2.
Similarly, one longitudinal margin of each end panel 52 is stitched
along one side edge of portion 48 by a line of stitching 56. The
opposite longitudinal margin of each panel 52 and its bottom margin
are both stitched to the corresponding marginal portions of front
panel 50 by stitching 58 to form the rectangular pocket. The top
portion 60 of panel 50 is free and carries, adjacent each of its
corners, the female part 62, of a press stud fastener.
Corresponding male fastener parts 64 are provided on the top
portion 46 to enable the top of the pocket to be releasably closed,
as shown in FIG. 1. In addition, the top portions 66 of the end
panel 52 are free, forming flaps, which can be tucked inwardly
under the top portion of panel 50.
In FIG. 2, three electrical cells 68, are shown in pocket 26. These
cells are entirely conventional nickel cadmium cells and, as can be
seen, are series connected by terminal strips 70. Output leads 72
from the end two cells are taken to terminals 74 on backing member
44. These two terminals extend through the member to the rear side
thereof where they are soldered to leads to be described later.
It will be appreciated that, when the flaps 66 on the end panel 52
are tucked inwardly on top of the cell and the top portion 60 is
secured in position by means of the press stud fasteners referred
to, the cells are securely enclosed within the pocket and protected
against damage between cells and soldered terminals and against the
ingress of foreign materials. However, access to the batteries is
readily obtainable by simply undoing either one or both of the
press studs and folding back the portion 60 of the pocket front
panel 50 and either or both end flaps 66.
The fourth pocket 28 is of the same general shape as the other
three pockets and is shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, prime reference
numerals are used to denote parts of the pocket which are the same
as parts shown in FIG. 2. It will be seen that the front panel 50
of pocket 28 is permanently secured to the backing member 44 along
its upper edge by two rivets 73 and a line of stitching 74.
Additional differences are that pocket 26 is open at the left hand
side and that the right hand end panel 52 terminates approximately
half way up the pocket (see FIG. 1). Further, a flap 76, secured by
a press stud 78 is provided in the bottom wall of pocket 28.
Pocket 28 carries the inverter unit of the power belt. This unit is
denoted 80 in FIG. 3, in which view it is shown in perspective,
removed from the pocket.
Unit 80 is adapted to be connected to the cells in pockets 22, 24,
26 by a connector unit 82 to which the inverter can be coupled by a
push-in coupling, (to be described). Unit 82 has a box form casing
84 and is normally secured in the right hand end of pocket 28 in
FIG. 3. The unit is held in position by three screws which extend
through the backing member 44 from the rear side thereof and are
received in complementary screw threaded holes (not visible) in the
casing 84. The heads of these screws are visible at 86 in FIG. 4.
In addition to holding the unit 82 in position, the top two screws
serve as terminals by which the unit is connected to the cells in
pockets 22, 24 and 26. Thus, leads 88 extend between these screws
and terminals on the rear face of backing member 44 connected to
the cells in the individual pockets. Two of these terminals are
denoted 74, having been referred to in connection with FIG. 2; the
corresponding terminals for the cells in the other pockets are
denoted 90. The leads 88 are soldered to the terminals 74 and 90
but are connected to the screw heads 86 by way of loops formed on
the ends of the leads through which the screws extend. Inside the
connector unit 82, these screws are electrically connected with the
above-mentioned push-in coupling between unit 82 and the inverter
unit 80.
This coupling has two parts; a male part denoted 92, carried by the
terminal unit 82, and a female part denoted 94, carried by the
inverter unit 80. The male part 92 of the coupling comprises a
generally rectangular body of an insulating plastics material,
along each side of which is embedded a series of conductive
terminal strips 96. The female part 94 of the coupling is formed by
a body of a similar insulating plastics material, which is shaped
to define a recess to receive the male part 92. Further metal
terminal strips 98, similar to strips 96, are provided on the inner
surfaces of the side walls of the female part 94.
The respective sets of terminal strips 96, 98 are arranged so that
the inverter unit can be plugged into the connector unit 82 in one
of two alternative positions, in each of which different sets of
terminal strips are in engagement with one another. Thus, the
inverter unit 80 can be inserted into the terminal unit 82, either
in the position in which it is shown in FIG. 6, or the unit can be
turned upside down, as indicated by arrow B, and inserted in an
alternative position.
In the position shown, unit 80 performs its normal function as an
inverter, converting the d.c. output of the cells in pockets 22, 24
and 26 of the belt to an a.c. output. In the alternative position,
unit 80 acts as a charger for the purpose of recharging the cells,
provision being made to couple the unit to an external electricity
supply at this time, as will be described.
The arrangement of the respective sets of terminal strips 96, 98 of
the coupling is such that, in the normal position of the inverter
unit as shown, the output from the cells passes through unit 80 to
an output socket arranged at the side of connector unit 82 remote
from the male coupling part 92. This socket is not visible in FIG.
3, but can clearly be seen at 100 in FIG. 1. It will be noted that
the socket is positioned adjacent the top of the inverter unit,
above the level of the top of the end panel 52 of pocket 28 so as
to be readily accessible at all times. Socket 100 is a conventional
output socket into which can be fitted the standard input plug of a
movie camera. In FIG. 1, such a plug is indicated at 102, connected
to the input lead 104 of a movie camera.
When the inverter unit 80 is in its other position (in which it
acts as a charger), the respective series of terminal strips 96, 98
connect the electric cells, through the unit 80 to an input lead
106 carrying a standard plug 108 at its outer end. In this
condition, if plug 108 is connected to an external electrical power
supply, the cells are re-charged through unit 80. It will be noted
that the casing 84 of the terminal unit 82 is shaped to define, at
its lower end, a recess 110 which is of box form and which serves
as a storage compartment for the lead 106 and plug 108 when the
belt is in normal use. In this connection, it will be realized that
the flap 76 on pocket 28 referred to above is provided to close off
the bottom of this recess and to retain the mains lead and plug
when the belt is in normal use. When the lead 106 is to be
withdrawn for charging purposes, flap 76 is pivoted downwardly by
releasing the press stud 78 to allow access to the storage
compartment 110.
The inverter unit 80 is retained in engagement with the connector
unit 82 in either of the two positions mentioned above by means of
inter-engageable locking formations denoted 112, 114 of the
inverter unit and connector unit respectively. The locking
formations 112 on the inverter unit 80 comprise, at each side of
the unit, a spring steel plate 116 having a forwardly projecting
part 118 provided at its outer side with a wedge form locking
member 120. By virtue of the fact that the plates 116 are of spring
steel, the projecting parts 118 thereof are deflectable towards one
another in engaging the locking formations 114 on the terminal unit
82. Further, to allow additional inward deflection of the part 118,
the body of the terminal unit is recessed at each side at 122,
behind the part 118.
The formations 114 comprise generally C-shaped plates which are
screwed to the sides of the terminal unit and which have chamfered
leading edges 124. Accordingly, when the inverter unit 80 is
engaged with the connector unit 82, these leading edges deflect the
locking members 120 inwardly so that the members 120 can pass along
the inside surfaces of the plates 114 and snap into the recesses
defined by the C-shape of the plates.
Release of the inverter unit 80 is effected by exerting manual
pressure on each of the locking members 120 so as to move the
members towards one another by deflecting the parts 118 of plates
112, allowing the members to clear the recesses and pass inwardly
between the plates 114 as the inverter unit is withdrawn.
Obviously, at this time, the inverter unit 80 and terminal unit 82
will be within the pocket 28 of the belt. This manual pressure will
accordingly have to be exerted on the backing member 44 of the belt
and on the front panel 50 of pocket 28. However, it is found in
practice that this presents no difficulty and that the person using
the belt can readily exert the required pressure at the appropriate
location by squeezing between thumb and forefinger of one hand
whilst withdrawing the inverter unit 80 from pocket 28 using the
other hand.
It should at this stage be noted that the inverter unit 80 is of
standard solid state construction being designed to provide an
accurate crystal-controlled a.c. output. However, in view of the
fact that the unit is of standard construction, a detailed
description is not believed to be necessary.
It should also be noted that the inverter unit 80 may be used
separately from the belt in conjunction with any other source of
low voltage d.c. electric current to provide an a.c. output. For
example, the unit could be used in an automobile to enable an a.c.
output to be obtained from the 12-volt vehicle battery. In this
event, the automobile will be provided with a fitment similar to
connector unit 82 into which the inverter can be plugged. This
fitment will not have a charging lead but, otherwise, will be
basically the same as unit 82, having an a.c. output socket and
being connected to the vehicle battery by way of terminals similar
to those on unit 82.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be that the leads
connecting the dry cells to one another and to the terminal unit 82
run behind the backing member 44 of the belt and are soldered to
terminals passing through the member to the cells and connector
unit as described above. According to an account of the present
invention, these leads and terminals are normally covered by the
webbing strip 20 of the belt, but provision is made to permit
access to the leads and terminals for maintenance purposes, as will
now be described.
Backing member 44 is secured to the webbing strip 20 of the belt by
four rivets 126, arranged in pairs at respectively opposite ends of
the top portion 46 of the backing member 44. In addition, strip 20
is stitched along its lower marginal edge to the top portion 46 of
member 44. The upper marginal edge portion of strip 20 is normally
secured to the top portion 46 of member 44 by means of strips of
"Velcro" (Trade Mark) secured to opposing faces of strip 20 and
portion 46. These two strips are denoted 128 and 130 respectively
in FIGS. 4 and 5. As is well known, "Velcro" comprises two cohesive
fabrics, the first of which has a surface covered with fibre loops
and the second of which has a surface covered with fine hooked
tines which catch in the loops of the other fabric to hold the
fabrics together. In this particular instance, strip 128 may be the
hooked fabric and strip 130 the fabric covered with loops, although
the arrangement may be reversed.
As can clearly be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, the provision of the
"Velcro" strips allows the portion of the webbing strip 20 which
covers the leads 88 and terminals 84, 90 to be detached along its
upper edge from the backing member 44 so as to allow access to the
leads and terminals for maintenance purposes. Further, the strip 20
can be readily re-attached to the backing member by simply pressing
the two "velcro" strips together.
Within the scope of the invention, retaining means other than
"Velcro" may be used. An alternative similar product which may be
used employs a first fabric having its surface covered with fibre
loops and a second fabric having its surface covered with tines,
each of which has a minute-mushroom shaped head for engagement with
the loops of the other fabric. Other alternatives are press studs
or a lace passing through eyelets in the respective parts of the
belt.
FIG. 6 illustrates how the belt shown in the other figures can be
folded into a compact form for storage and/or transportation, by
virtue of the flexible portions of strip 20 and backing member 44
between the individual pockets of the belt. With this facility in
mind, the belt has been designed so that the spacing (denoted S in
FIG. 3) between the two centre pockets 24, 26 of the belt is
substantially equal to the thickness of those pockets so that these
two pockets can be folded together face-to-face, as shown in FIG.
5, with the portion of the belt therebetween lying against the
adjacent ends of the pockets. The compactness and ease of folding
of the belt is further enhanced by the fact that the pockets are
all of identical shape.
It is of course to be understood that the number of pockets on the
belt can be varied within the broad scope of the invention.
Moreover, if the belt were to be used as a d.c. power source the
inverter could be omitted, in which case all of the pockets or the
belt would contain electrical cells.
What I CLAIM IS:
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